The Rationale
I got my first DVD in 2004. It was a lovely gift – the region 1 Gold Classic Collection edition of Mary Poppins! Since then I diligently collected all the Walt Disney Animation Studios feature films on DVD. The animation-centric Walt Disney Treasures sets were important too as were the live action and animation hybrid films in which the animated segments were contributed by Disney Animation.
When Blu-ray came along, I decided to upgrade those films that I held most dear. That idea was eventually discarded in favour of a complete high-definition collection of the entire canon!
I now own a Blu-ray copy of every WDAS film that has earned a release on the format. For obvious reasons I am still missing Make Mine Music, Melody Time and The Black Cauldron – which drives me insane – but what can you do? At least I have the DVDs. I consider myself lucky to be in possession of a burned DVD copy of Song of the South that 2099net graciously recorded off a BBC broadcast and then mailed to me all the way from the UK to Malta.I estimate that as a child I would watch my bootlegged VHS copies of the Disney animated films on average twice a year (maybe more, maybe less.) I would deliberately opt not to revisit too often so that the films would remain fresh and enjoyable. I loved the warm, fuzzy feeling of watching a film I purposely abstained from for some time.
When I got into DVD collecting this mindset remained but became far more extreme. I would say that nowadays it takes me about six years to give the average Disney animated film a whirl following my last viewing. Because of that, the absolute majority of my Blu-ray collection of the WDAS films has been viewed only once! This includes the Platinum Edition of Sleeping Beauty which came out way back in 2008, and which has almost never left my shelf since then.
I recall that when I had accumulated most of the WDAS library on Blu-ray I decided that I wanted to watch the movies in chronological order. By this I do not mean I intended a movie marathon, with three or four films a day. Even if that were possible, it would have completely spoiled my enjoyment of the films. The “rule” was that every time I watched a WDAS film it would directly follow the canon list. I could fit in two or three movies a week. Sometimes I would go a month without watching a single one. In between WDAS films it was fine to watch other movies – live action or animated – as long as I adhered religiously to chronology for the Disney releases.
However, it turns out this system caused some monotony. Even if I wasn’t quite binging on the films, watching them in order made them feel altogether less interesting; storytelling formulas or conventions between one film and the next were very easy to perceive. Do note that I am not making specific reference to the Renaissance films here, but all the other eras too. I do not blame the movies or the filmmakers; similarity between movies released in close succession is expected and understandable. It is just the way things are. I am certain the feeling I experienced was exacerbated by my familiarity with the majority of these entries.
Well … that was a pretty long time ago.
It is time for another go.
However, I do not want to run into the same problem twice. So, I devised a custom order, or “programme” of all the WDAS films. This time I shall be disregarding chronological order in favour of narrative and stylistic contrasts. I hope this will enhance the enjoyment and appreciation of the films, both for me and any other potential viewers who may wish to try it out. Compiling this programme has taken a lot longer than I anticipated – and I am certain I will make amendments in the future – but it has been great fun! I fully intend to follow it when I start my adventure once again.
As an additional challenge I decided to attach one or two animated short subjects to each feature film. Regrettably this detail cannot be simulated in real life with DVD and Blu-ray unless one fancies constantly hopping between the sofa and the player, swapping multiple discs whilst navigating previews and countless menus prior to the feature presentation. This would break the immersion and is utterly useless. (I am aware that this can be achieved by ripping the discs to a PC, but it requires time, expertise and digital storage space that I do not have. I am also sceptical if it is possible to rip a disc and retain the original audio and video quality down to the last byte.)
The choice of animated shorts was daunting and ultimately I had to fast-track the process as there is only so much time one can justify spending on such a project (we all have far more important things to do in life!) As such, my choices may not be ideal. They are also limited to those films I can remember, if only vaguely. In some exceptional cases I have included short subjects I have never watched, but I knew enough about them to feel confident in my choice (for now, at any rate!) You will see that Goofy and Pluto are grossly underrepresented. I really did want to include more of their cartoons – especially the “George Geef” Goofy entries – but I couldn’t possibly give consideration to those films I remember absolutely nothing about. (I watched my Complete Goofy DVD set just once and it has been about twelve years!)
The Proposal
I would love to see your programmes of the WDAS films and how you would go about the task. If the job seems overwhelming do not fret, it doesn’t have to be exactly like mine (i.e. the entire canon.) It might just be a curated list of your favourites. Neither do you have to add shorts if you do not want to. You can make up your own rules.
For those who are game with short subjects it might be interesting to include those from other studios, like Warner Brothers, MGM, Fleischer/Famous Studios, UPA, TerryToons, etc. I am pretty sure there are quite a few Tex Avery laugh riots that would pair scintillatingly well with certain Disney films.
If you’re feeling particularly ambitious you can try mixing up the WDAS features with those of other studios like Pixar, DreamWorks, Blue Sky, Sony, Laika, international animation studios and even arthouse or indie animated films.
Here are the guidelines I set for myself in compiling my programme.
The Rules – Feature Films
1. The programme must begin with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, even if it is a safe and predictable choice.
2. Aim to create contrasts. Avoid lumping the musical films together. The same applies for action-adventure films like The Rescuers Down Under or Treasure Planet. Follow up the narratively-heavy, epic films with something light-hearted and zany, and vice versa.
3. It is imperative that sequels follow the original films, even if way down the list. This also includes spiritual successors. Thus:
- Fantasia is followed by Fantasia 2000
Saludos Amigos is followed by The Three Caballeros
Make Mine Music is followed by Melody Time
The Rescuers is followed by The Rescuers Down Under
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh is followed by Winnie the Pooh
Wreck-It Ralph is followed by Ralph Breaks the Internet
Frozen is followed by Frozen II
- The Aristocats, The Rescuers and Oliver & Company cannot be included on the list before One Hundred and One Dalmatians.
The Little Mermaid is the first Broadway-styled Renaissance film to appear in the programme.
Comedy-fests Hercules and The Emperor’s New Groove can only show up after Aladdin.
Brother Bear can only be slotted in after Tarzan (probably due to the Phil Collins connection.)
- The movies with leading or supporting princess characters must be distributed more or less evenly throughout the list.
The same applies to the anthology films. (My definition of an anthology film is any movie that is made up of at least two different segments. This includes Fantasia, Saludos Amigos, The Three Caballeros, Make Mine Music, Fun and Fancy Free, Melody Time, The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and Fantasia 2000.)
A similar approach is required for the animation and live action hybrid films.
Those Films that recycle animation rather egregiously must be distanced from the “donor” film. Hence, there should be sizeable gaps between Snow White and Robin Hood, Dumbo and The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, and The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad and The Jungle Book. Similarly, The Jungle Book, The Sword in the Stone and The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh must be separated from each other to an acceptable degree. (I feel The Aristocats and Robin Hood have ended up a little too close for comfort in this regard.)
- Fun and Fancy Free follows Pinocchio as I do not like the idea of Jiminy Cricket showing up in the anthology film first rather than the original Pinocchio. The fact that Fun has no other references to the earlier epic is irrelevant.
Aladdin makes two short but unmissable nods to The Little Mermaid and Pinocchio. It cannot be included before those two.
Ralph Breaks the Internet is a nightmare as there are so many established Disney characters crammed into it. The most prominent ones are the princesses.
Since the last princess film in my programme is located near the end, there was no option but to include Ralph 2 afterwards to avoid similar conflicts as in the above scenarios. However, it simply wasn’t practical to take every cameoing character’s respective film into account when positioning the Ralph sequel. Tinker Bell appears briefly during the film’s Oh My Disney scene, yet Peter Pan follows Ralph 2 on my programme simply because I was set on having the classic Disney film in that position. Certainly that was as far down the list as I was comfortable putting in Ralph Breaks the Internet anyway. (I would have preferred a little further forward, but not too much.)
Of course, Ralph 2 also contains cameos of non-WDAS characters, including some from the Pixar films (Brave and Toy Story) as well as others from the Star Wars franchise and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Integrating the referenced Pixar films as well as the whole Star Wars and Marvel saga into this programme simply to ensure the viewer “gets the references” goes beyond the scope of this endeavour. In any case, of all the modern Marvel movies I have only watched the original Iron Man, and not a single Star Wars film (really!), but I still fully enjoyed Ralph 2 and got the references (sort of) since Groot and the Stormtroopers are everywhere even if I’ve never watched their respective films. Were I familiar with these non-Disney properties I expect to have gotten an increased kick out of the cameos, but they’re not essential. Imagine if the Wreck-It Ralph cameos could only be enjoyed if one has played the featured characters’ video games. I never owned a Nintendo or Sega console and certainly never played Super Mario Bros., Sonic the Hedgehog, Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat. Still, I was grinning from ear to ear seeing established video game characters in a Disney film. (For the record, my gaming experiences dealt mostly with the Commodore 64 and the Sony PlayStation. I will say that the Metal Gear Solid reference made me squeal with laughter. I also loved the Tomb Raider and the hidden Final Fantasy VII nods. These are games I did play.)
I decided not to worry about the multiple canine cameos in films like One Hundred and One Dalmatians and Oliver & Company, or the appearance of Bill and Dumbo in The Great Mouse Detective. Neither did I lose sleep over Rapunzel’s appearance in Frozen. You have to draw the line somewhere!
The Rules - Animated Shorts
1. Contrast the short film with the feature. However, it is fine to pair shorts with features based on narrative and thematic similarities. Variety is key.
2. Aim for two short subjects per film. Include just one short when it is in featurette format rather than the typical seven minute one-reel. The same should be observed when the feature film is an anthology of shorter films. In this case the attached short should preferably be a more conventional rather than experimental sort of film. This is because anthology films are naturally more taxing on the mind due to the multiple narratives. You cannot enjoy them if you get fatigued.
3. Ideally a character based short would be paired with a one-shot cartoon. Avoid including two shorts from the same series (e.g. two Donalds, two Plutos, two Mickeys, etc.)
4. In certain cases some form of chronology is needed. Assuming the viewer is unfamiliar with Donald Duck cartoons, one cannot programme an entry like Cured Duck prior to establishing Donald’s anger management problems in earlier shorts and still expect it to have the requisite impact.
5. Those films which had short subjects attached on their theatrical release must retain them.
THE PROGRAMME ITSELF (Gasp! We're finally here!)
1. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
a. Thru the Mirror
b. The Old Mill
2. The Jungle Book
a. Paul Bunyan
3. Alice in Wonderland
a. The Pied Piper
b. Mickey’s Fire Brigade
4. Zootopia
a. Who Killed Cock Robin?
b. Lighthouse Keeping
5. Saludos Amigos
a. Ben and Me
6. Pinocchio
a. Wynken, Blynken and Nod
b. Private Pluto
7. Bolt
a. Three Orphan Kittens
b. Glago’s Guest
8. Tarzan
a. Self Control
b. Lambert the Sheepish Lion
9. Fun and Fancy Free
a. Pluto’s Judgement Day
10. The Fox and the Hound
a. Figaro and Cleo
b. Susie the Little Blue Coupé
11. Dumbo
a. Chicken Little
b. Fall Out, Fall In
12. The Little Mermaid
a. Music Land
b. Drip Dippy Donald
13. Make Mine Music
a. Mr. Duck Steps Out
14. One Hundred and One Dalmatians
a. Moving Day
b. Jack and Old Mac
15. Encanto
a. The Pelican and the Snipe
b. Rugged Bear
16. Song of the South
a. The Cookie Carnival
b. Pluto’s Sweater
17. Oliver & Company
a. Hawaiian Holiday
b. A Cowboy Needs a Horse
18. Frozen
a. The Hockey Champ
b. Get a Horse
19. Home on the Range
a. The Autograph Hound
b. The Legend of Coyote Rock
20. The Rescuers
a. Ferdinand the Bull
b. Oilspot and Lipstick
21. Mulan
a. Golden Eggs
b. John Henry
22. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
a. Don Donald
23. The Black Cauldron
a. Trick or Treat
b. Vincent
24. Aladdin
a. Mickey’s Trailer
b. Cured Duck
25. So Dear to my Heart
a. Mother Goose Goes Hollywood
b. Magician Mickey
26. The Rescuers Down Under
a. The Prince and the Pauper
27. Winnie the Pooh
a. Sleepytime Donald
b. The Ballad of Nessie
28. The Sword in the Stone
a. Pigs is Pigs
b. Donald Applecore
29. The Princess and the Frog
a. On Ice
b. Duck Pimples
30. The Reluctant Dragon
a. The Old Army Game
b. Victory Vehicles
c. Der Fuehrer’s Face
31. Dinosaur
a. Noah’s Ark
32. Fantasia
a. Off His Rockers
33. Pocahontas
a. Knight for a Day
b. Bearly Asleep
34. The Great Mouse Detective
a. Puss Café
b. Donald’s Diary
35. Bambi
a. How to be a Sailor
b. Commando Duck
36. Big Hero 6
a. Old MacDonald Duck
b. Feast
37. Mary Poppins
a. The Band Concert
b. The Brave Engineer
38. Hercules
a. It’s Tough to be a Bird
39. Wreck-It Ralph
a. Donald’s Crime
b. Paperman
40. The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad
a. Donald’s Dream Voice
41. Frozen II
a. R’Coon Dog
b. The Little Matchgirl
42. Brother Bear
a. The Little Whirlwind
b. Donald’s Dilemma
43. Beauty and the Beast
a. The Nifty Nineties
b. Social Lion
44. Victory Through Air Power
a. Education for Death
b. Reason and Emotion
45. Chicken Little
a. Goofy’s Glider
b. The Simple Things
46. Melody Time
a. Tick Tock Tale
47. The Aristocats
a. No Hunting
b. Plutopia
48. Pete’s Dragon
a. Motor Mania
b. Casey Bats Again
49. Cinderella
a. Woodland Café
b. The Little House
50. The Emperor’s New Groove
a. Clock Cleaners
b. Goofy and Wilbur
51. Moana
a. Put-Put Troubles
b. Inner Workings
52. Sleeping Beauty
a. Donald in Mathmagic Land
53. Robin Hood
a. Hockey Homicide
b. How to Have an Accident in the Home
54. Fantasia 2000
a. A Symposium on Popular Songs
55. Meet the Robinsons
a. Boat Builders
b. Orphan’s Benefit (Remake)
56. Lilo & Stitch
a. Mickey’s Birthday Party
b. Donald’s Double Trouble
57. The Hunchback of Notre Dame
a. Society Dog Show
b. One by One
58. Lady and the Tramp
a. Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom
b. Grand Canyonscope
59. Bedknobs and Broomsticks
a. Cock o’ the Walk
b. Mickey’s Delayed Date
60. Atlantis: The Lost Empire
a. Donald’s Better Self
b. How to Hook Up Your Home Theatre
61. The Three Caballeros
a. The Saga of Windwagon Smith
62. Tangled
a. The Pointer
b. Destino
63. Treasure Planet
a. Officer Duck
b. Lorenzo
64. Ralph Breaks the Internet
a. Bellboy Donald
b. Fun with Mr. Future
65. Peter Pan
a. Crazy over Daisy
b. Melody
66. Raya and the Last Dragon
a. Symphony Hour
b. Tangled Ever After
67. The Lion King
a. The Ugly Duckling (Remake)
b. Runaway Brain
Phhhhhheeeeeeewwwwwwww ...
So, whatcha think guys? Tellmetellmetellmetellme, watcha think?
)
I truly hope there's other stuff in there to ease my soul when I start that journey.